Pocket shaper



Jan. 4, 1938. A J BARNETT 2,104,111

POCKET SHAPER Filed Sept. 26, 1935 h 25 shaper.

Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a tool or appliance for facilitating the shaping of pockets in shirts, aprons, coats, vests and other garments during the laundering or cleaning operations thereof.

It has for one of its objects to provide a pocket shaper of this character which is so designed and. constructed as to be readily manipulated for insertion into the pocket to shape it and thereafter be easily removed, and which is automatically adaptable or adjustable to dilferent sizes and shapes of pockets.

Another object of the invention is the provision of pocket-shaping tool which is simple, compact and durable in construction, which is inexpensive,

and which is composed of a minimum number of parts not liable to get out of order.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in 90 the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my pocket shaper showing the same applied to a shirtpocket. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, showing the pivot connection between the actuating levers of the shaper. Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken substantially in the plane 30 of line 4-4, Figure 2. Figure 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective of the pivoted portions of the shaper-levers.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

5 In the preferred embodiment of the tool shown in the drawing, the same has been illustrated in Figure l in connection with the shaping of the pocket ll] of a shirt I I. After the shirt is washed, the shaping tool is inserted into the pocket in the- 40 manner shown to take out any folds or wrinkles and properly shape the pocket before ironing or pressing to thereby facilitate that operation.

The shaping tool consists of a pair of pivotally connected levers l2, I2 which terminate. at their 45 upper ends in suitably shaped actuating handles l3, l3. These levers are disposed side by side in the same plane and in opposing edgewise relation,

each being provided intermediate its ends with a pivot ear or hub plate I4 to receive the pivot pin 50 I5. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, these hub plates are substantially circular and project inwardly from the respective levers in spaced overlying relation, one plate projecting from one side or face of its companion lever and the other 55 plate projecting from the opposite side or face of its lever, whereby the plates are disposed in axially spaced relation in the manner shown in Figure 4, with the free face of one plate constituting a guide or facial bearing for the contiguous side of the other lever. Arranged in the space between the hub plates and coiled about the pivot pin I5 is a spring I6 whose arms 11 bear against the opposing edges of the companion levers l2, as seen in Figure 3, to constantly urge their lower ends toward each other in the contracted, substantially parallel position seen by dotted lines in Figure 2.

Applied to the lower ends of the levers l2 are self-adjusting elements or shaping arms l8 which are adapted to engage the side edges of the pocket, and by spreading the levers to the position shown in Figure 1, smooth out and properly shape the pocket-walls to facilitate ironing. These shaping arms are swivelly mounted adjacent the lower ends of the levers to freely swing transversely in substantially the plane thereof to assume different angular positions relative thereto, and for this purpose said arms are connected intermediate their ends by pivots l9 with such lever ends, as clearly shown in Figure 2. By preference these shaping arms are substantially U-shaped in crosssection so as to embrace the companion levers in the collapsed position of the tool shown by dotted lines in Figure 2, and in which position the closed edges of the arms constitute abutments for limiting their swinging movement in one direction. The swinging movement of the arms in the opposite direction is llmited by the closed edges of the arms contacting the free ends of the levers l2- .By the provision of these swivelling shaping arms, they are self-adjustable to properly fit various sizes and shapes of pockets, the angular disposition of the arms relative to the levers being automatically controlled simultaneously with the spreading of the levers within the pocket and the outer side edges of the arms being self-alining to the edges of the pockets, thereby assuring an even stretching of the pocket prior to ironing.

I claim as my invention:-

A pocket shaper of the character described, comprising a pair of flat levers disposed side by side in the same plane in opposing edgewise relation and pivotally connected intermediate their ends and terminating at their upper ends in handles, said levers having hub-plates thereon, one plate projecting from one face of its companion lever and the other plate projecting from the opposite face of its lever, whereby the plates are disposed in axially-spaced relation with the free face of one plate constituting a facial bearing for the contiguous side of the other lever, a pivot pin engaging said hub-plates, a spring coiled about said pin and housed between said hubplates and having its ends in bearing contact with the respective levers, and pocket-engaging elements pivotally connected to the lower ends of said levers to swing transversely thereof.

ARTHUR J. BARNETT. 

